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Fenris
'' '''Fenris is an veritcally challenged elf who doesn't smile nearly as much as his profile picture implies. Chatty, for the brooding type. He stumbled in-game face first on 04-05 and currently lives in Zone 05, Gibson. age: Elf which is effectively, "perma-teen" origins: Dragon Age {canon} 'app link ' 'hmd ' 'played by: 'Odd '''contact: '''electricbeararms {aim} oddplorx {plurk} Setting So, Thedas- the only continent on an unnamed world, somewhere in the southern hemisphere. It is your standard medieval Europe fantasy-analogue complete with the three major species- humans, elves and dwarves. As per rule of fantasy- their relations are rather strained. Elves, now playing against type, are the universal butt monkeys here as a slighter species and second class citizens after they were mostly acculturated (against their will) in human society hundreds of years prior to the first game by the magocracy known as the Tevinter Imperium. Humans are the most prevalent of the species, not breaking any fantasy rules by continuing to be the same dark age-like, kingdom ruling, broken up set of assholes this side of Tolkien-esque Road. Dwarves are…dwarves. Live underground most of the time. They really like rocks. Rock, and beards. The points in history in the world of Dragon Age are broken up officially as “Ages” and unofficially by their “Blights.” Currently, they are in the ninth age- the Age of the Dragon. So on a calendar- if this were the thirtieth year of the ninth age it’d be, “9:30.” Each age is approximately a century and marked by important events in history. The Dragon Age (title drop) was named such for the sighting of a high dragon. The Blights, however, are equally important periods in their ages. Blights are the widespread presence of darkspawn- creatures (humans, dwarves, elves, really anything organic) tainted beyond recognition and warped into havoc reeking monstrosities. Blights are special in that while the darkspawn can appear in scattered numbers, it’s not a real party (read: Blight) unless an archdemon is involved. An archdemon is basically the mother brain of the whole of the darkspawn- a single, powerful “Old God” that has been awakened and corrupted by the darkspawn taint. (Haha...taint) So far there have been five Blights all together- the Fifth being the Blight that encompassed the events of Dragon Age: Origins. WELL THERE’S YOUR PRECIOUS FUCKING WORLD BUILDING. Now let’s talk Dragon Age II DAII is set almost exclusively in the city of Kirkwall- a human-ruled former slave hub in the realm of collected city states known as the Free Marches. A coastal city, it has been the begrudging home to many of the Fereldan refugees that escaped there after the Fifth Blight razed much of the Fereldan kingdom. Kirkwall is also not the nicest place to live. While the merchant guilds and places such as Hightown are for the well-to-do; the crime, poverty and corruption are accepted facts of life for the rest of Kirkwall. The people Kirkwall are also under the thumb of the Vicount, but more so the Templar Order. The major plot of Dragon Age II is the political and social struggle between the Templar Order and the mages of not just Kirkwall, but of Thedas itself. See, most of Thedas sans the Imperium is pretty much governed by the teachings of the Chantry- the major religious group of the world. The Chantry teaches the magic, born in a small percentage of humans and elves, is while not inherently evil- dangerous if left unmonitored as it makes them possible vessels for demons and darker spirits. To govern this the Chantry has the Circle of Magi, where any child between the ages of 6 or 12 are taken away from their families to be trained in magic and put through the Harrowing- a magical trial that tests a mage’s ability to withstand the darker forces of the world. If they fail, they are made Tranquil (think magic lobotomy). If a mage does not join the Circle, they are branded an apostate and hunted by the Chantry’s military force- the aforementioned Templars. This is where interest groups start getting chaffed. The major conflicts if the Templar Order has too much power and if mages can be given more freedom or treated as ticking time bombs that need to be imprisoned. The Circle in Kirkwall is particularly under fire from both sides what with a rise in escaped mages and rumors of illegal blood magic and the cracking down of the Templar’s Knight-Commander. Basically both sides are pretty corrupt in their own ways and it’s up to the Champion (the player character) which of the two will be, well, championed. Personality Fenris has a somewhat complex personality. An escaped slave with amnesia due to the painful circumstances that gave him his lyrium tattoos has left him world weary and bitter with a deep-seated hatred for mages. From the Tevinter Imperium where mages rule and slavery legal, he had been exposed to the worst, if not horrific, behavior that can be exhibited by mages in a seat of power. The ordeal intensified thanks to Fenris having been mastered by one of the cruelest magisters in the Imperium. The marks left were more than just physical and Fenris would gladly tell you what a sick place the Imperium is and cite it as an example as to why all mages can’t be trusted with any kind of power, even if they are good intentioned. He actually will talk about the Imperium at great length and with little provocation. It’s pretty understandable considering there was a time where that was all he knew and, frankly, hated. But while his opinions on the Imperium and mages are strong, Fenris is still humble just enough to recognize that not everything he feels is set in stone. A rather important aspect of his personality is that even though he can be stubborn and even antagonistic towards mages, mage sympathizers or just those who are willing to turn a blind eye to the corrupt system within the Imperium- Fenris is almost always willing to step back and admit that his experiences do not give him the right to make assumptions about entire groups and he'll sometimes even apologize if he feels he's coming off too hateful. While not always the case, say with such situations where Merrill finds blood magic safe and Anders is just...being Anders, Fenris at least is capable of making the effort to not let his emotions cloud his better judgment while still being very cautious. Fenris is neither talkative nor all that friendly. At first. He’s initially very blunt in group conversations, not often speaking unless spoken to and even then he’s very short with his responses, relying on deadpan humor and sarcasm. Because of these, he’s usually perceived as angst ridden and broody, when in reality he does NOT consider himself either of those things and can be rather put out if someone implies otherwise. In fact, he considers his silence and lack of expression a sign of content. But he’s not without his moods. Alone with Hawke, speaking as either a friend or a romantic interest, he will show shades of his frustration with his situation and start to lash out if not at Hawke, then on unsuspecting bottles of wine. Buuuut not a moment after his monologues his feelings and sulks, he tries to apologize for it even when his sour attitude has some justification to it. He’s either very resentful of his own darker moods, or still so unused to being a free man that he feels like he should apologize for almost every outburst he feels is, “his fault/his problems.” Or some combination of the two. But Fenris is in no way a doormat for it, however. He is still very passionate about his worldly views, and doesn’t shy away from defending his opinions when he feels he is in the right. Even if his last word comes off as harsh or even cruel- he doesn’t spare feelings and others find it difficult (but importantly, not impossible) to sway towards the alternative. He is the kind to lighten up and come around, though. Even in the beginning Fenris is shown to have some semblance of a sense of humor- laughing at party banter humor and smiling at Hawke’s derpy attempts at wit and charm. He will joke around himself- albeit in a very dry, deadpan manner in response to others, but he tries. Overall, Fenris is very low key the majority of the time. Slow to start conversations and very quick to finish them, but he’s not without his sharp tongue and wry joke. A few other highlights in Fenris’s personality are his pride and relationship with his religion. For a slave new to freedom, Fenris has a surprisingly strong streak of pride in him. He’s not the haughty, self-embellishing kind of proud, though. Fenris can just be too proud to readily accept help from others, thinking he can handle himself despite being a fish out of water. This more often than not lands with his decisions biting him in the ass. While not naïve, he is at a disadvantage when it comes to living for himself. There are times he will swallow his pride, though. Such occasions are flattering Aveline to keep the guard away from the mansion he’s squatting in to (if Varric is to be believed) schmoozing Hawke out of a bit of coin for his card games with Varric and Isabela. HE’S NOT PERFECT, but he doesn’t lie about his short comings- if anything. Also, religion. Fenris has an abrasive, tentative relationship with his world’s church- the Chantry. His ordeals have, as another companion put it, soured his views of the church and their god. Fenris initially believe the Maker had abandoned him and that his freedom was something he won for himself. Aforementioned other companions, a Chantry brother named Sebastian, ended up forming an odd couple bond with Fenris over this. Their eventual friendship and Sebastian’s gentle (and implied to be successful)evangelism shows a more contemplative, spiritual side to Fenris as someone who not just prays but seriously considers faith and morality- behavior not seen otherwise. Abilities & Weaknesses Fenris is a warrior-class combatant who specialized in two-handed weapons, such as long swords and battle axes. Heavy weapon capable, Fenris is considered most proficient when he's going down Buster Sword-style on an enemy. While lanky even for an elf, Fenris is a tank when in combat and strong enough to utilize such large weapons with deadly force. This is not a common class for an elf, but fitting in that Fenris is anything but due to the situation that made him so. Fenris is a special circumstance type of warrior, a Lyrium Ghost. When he was still a slave, Fenris was put through a magical procedure in which his master burned lyrium into his skin as an experiment. The ordeal was so painful that Fenris pushed it and every memory before it out of his mind- but it did not come without its strengths. Being lyrium infused gives Fenris the strange ability to temporarily phase through solid objects and become more difficult to track in battle. The extent of his abilities is unknown, even to him. What he's only been able to do so far is phase his hands through people's chests. Fenris has little control over this ability and tries not to rely on it too heavily out of lack of understanding and a general contempt for it. Has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of his country and neighboring nations. Multi-lingual and versed in the cultures and traditions of other species and lands, he's surprisingly intelligent for a former slave who's education was virtually nonexistent. Moreso as he shows his greater knowledge of these things early into his freedom- meaning he learned all of this by observations and personal interaction alone. As for weaknesses, Fenris is not a physically weak character by any stretch of the imagination, but he's not really super powered save for being just a fraction taller and more combat effective than your average elf. Because he uses medieval weapons and armor in such a game's setting, it doesn't matter how physically strong he is when set against futuristic weapons with his sword. That right there is his biggest problem, in combat, anyway. Fenris is also illiterate (though far from unintelligent- see above), and stubborn as hell about it. While normally characters that can't read Earth's English have the advantage of translator via the bracelets- Fenris isn't exactly that great a scholar in his own language, either and would feel silly if he relied on audio transcripts exclusively- a feat in itself as his medieval brain would have to get over the idea that technology =/= demons and wizards. This places him at a disadvantage with things such as signs and books; the expected challenges placed upon anyone in his situation. Character Relationships Sometimes, Fenris actually talks to people sober. Rapunzel- A strange but harmless girl who had the dubious pleasure of being the first person he interacted with on the station. Once it became clear she was simply perculiar and not some hellion from the Fade and actually wanted to be helpful- Fenris started making an conscious effort not to be a phenomenal dick around her. He tries, bless him. Doesn't know what to make of the lizard that appears to live in her hair, though. Ram- Fenris followed this program home and nothing has gone right ever since. Both incredibly naive about life on the station, they even each other out as they both seem to have what te other lacks. Whereas Ram doesn't know how to function as anything but a Program living inside the Grid who's never seen so much as a tree before, Fenris is going through an equally bad case of culture shock but due to the sudden inclusion of technology. Fenris would tell you Ram talks too much about nothing and is just annoying in general, but that Ram is walking around without a scratch on him implies that the two glowy midgets have a mututally curious affection for one another. Kevin Flynn- Because Ram asked too many questions and Fenris not enough, the nicest man on the entire station, one Kevin Flynn, ended up pegged as just another power-happy slave holder akin to the ones Fenris had only recently escaped from. Because Programs = Slaves, obviously. This lead to a hilarious and slap-stick series of events where a party was crashed, names were called and Flynn's capacity for patience elevated to that of Buddha. Fenris walked away with egg on his face and few bottles of stolen alcohol, puked on some floors and woke up feeling the need to start dolling out the apologies. After the hangover subsided and everyone went to their rooms, the pair calmly (no, really) discussed the situation privately and walked away from it with a better appreciation for asking the right questions. Fenris respects Flynn as someone he doesn't have to fully understand to know he is a benevolent man that won't abuse the power he has over his Program charges. This is really saying something. Presently the only person to know Fenris is at an..."educational disadvantage" here. Tron- Look at that program, I hope he derezzes. Honors were called into question and despite having a respect for Flynn in common, they both dislike each other's guts and a fight is probably imminent. Smart money's on Tron, everyone! See Also Dragon Age Wiki Character Page